United States: New Year, New You: Making Company Culture Deliberate

Company culture is an essential part of any successful business.
Often in the midst of developing or growing a business, enhancing
company culture may be overlooked. This, however, can be a
missed opportunity to grow and strengthen your company. The better
your culture is, the easier it is to not only attract top
talent but to retain these employees. Great people want to
work with great people. A healthy company culture results in
engaged, productive and satisfied employees.

That said, here are few awesome tips on how you can improve your
company's culture:

1. Care About Your Company's Culture

Make culture a priority and be deliberate about it. Company
culture does not just happen. It is not created by sending out an
email or creating a new policy; it requires active participation
and collaboration. Improving company culture also needs to come
from the top down. When employees see leadership buying in, they
are then more likely to buy in. At ORBA, we have a partially remote
Cloud Services team, which we strive to stay connected with through
video conferencing, lunch and learns and different "get to
know you" opportunities.

2. Define Your Company's Values and Practice Them

This may mean that you must determine what your values are and
how they contribute to your success. Make sure that your employees
not only know your company's core values, but also that they
see them in practice. To develop your culture and have it become an
integral part of your company, you need to develop genuine core
values and stick to them.

"Your values determine what is important and meaningful to
you. They align with your purpose, and speak loudly and
passionately to other – and to yourself – about who you
are and what you're called to do in this world" — Lolly Daskal, Leadership Global Consultant and
Coach

3. Recognize and Reward Achievements

Reward employees whose work exemplifies the culture that you are
working towards. Make sure to make time to celebrate their
contributions and anniversaries. It can be a major motivation boost
for your team to hear the positive results of their work. How is
this for further motivation: Employers who offer incentives for
good work see a return on equity three times
higher than those that do not, according to Chester Elton and
Adrian Gostick, co-authors of The Carrot Principle. Ignoring
someone's contribution is a sure-fire way to make them feel
unappreciated or taken for granted.

4. Communication is Leadership

Communicate with your team about company objectives, performance
and new initiatives. This allows people to understand not only what
is expected of them, but also that they play a part in the bigger
picture of the company. This develops a sense of ownership which
leads to loyalty and dedication. Embrace transparency, but remember
that transparency is not the same as democracy. Transparency in a
company means, "We'll tell you how the process works and
what goes into it, but we do not make decisions by consensus.
Someone owns it and we trust them to make the right decision."
Most of the dysfunction that happens in a company of any size
happens behind closed doors. The more light you can shine on the
process, the better the outcomes and the better the decisions.

5. Hire the People that You Set Out to Hire

Do not compromise. Be wary of hiring because you need someone;
hire someone that embodies your core values or your culture. Focus
on candidates who have the relevant skills and also best reflect
the values and beliefs of your company. An impulsive or toxic hire
out of necessity will have a negative impact on your team and even
potential new hires.

Work these suggestions for company
culture into your business goals for 2017. By doing so, your
company becomes a coveted place to work by top industry talent
and your employees will reward you with increased
loyalty and productivity.

The content of this article is intended to provide a general
guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought
about your specific circumstances.

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